Clip driving tool



May'7, 1968 R. E. OMHOLT 3,381,730

CLIP DRIVING TOOL Filed May 19, 1966 F/& 2

FIG; ark/1V OMHOL 7' 67KB M"? ATTORME'V United States Patent 3,381,730 CLIP DRIVING TOOL Ray E. Omholt, Berwyn, Pa., assignor to Powerlock Floors, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 19, 1966, Ser. No. 551,309 7 Claims. (Cl. 145-46) This invention relates to clip applying tools and more particularly to a tool for applying clips for holding floor boards in place.

In my prior application for flooring systems, filed Mar. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 534,371, floor boards, preferably with edge tongues and grooves, are shown as secured in place on parallel channels by clips which engage the channels and have gripping portions which are driven into the edges of the boards.

In order to apply each clip it is placed in the channel, is advanced to the wood and then driven to its final holding position. It is essential that the clip must be straight as it enters the wood and accordingly that the web of the clip be dead vertical and the teeth horizontal. The board to be secured in place must be in dead flat contact with the channel so that the clip is not called upon to take any downward vertical load.

No satisfactory equipment for this purpose is now available.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a clip applying tool which will hold the clip in continuous erect position, which will hold the board into which clip is being inserted in engagement with the channel and which will indicate when the clip is home.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tool of the character aforesaid in which the drive face can be readily replaced if desired.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a clip applying tool which will hold the clip in proper position for driving and which has a driving target face for impact force application.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a clip applying tool which is simple yet sturdy in construction and which will facilitate the securing of floor boards in place.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a clip applying tool in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of a flooring system with the tool of the present invention applied thereto;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, enlarged, taken approximately on the line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirt of the invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 a fragment of a flooring system is shown in FIG. 2 for purposes of illustration and the foundation or base has spaced parallel channels 11 secured thereto. One of the channels 11 is shown, and has inwardly extending opposite horizontal rims 12 spaced above a horizontal 3,381,739 Patented May 7, 1968 ice web 13. The floor boards 14, which are to be secured to the channels 11 each has an edge tongue 15 with upper and lower edge faces 16 and 17 therealong, and edge grooves 18 with upper and lower edge faces 19 and 20 therealong. The preferred securing structure engaging the channels 11 and edges 16 of the floor boards 14 comprises metallic clips 25 (see FIG. 1) with teeth 26, preferably sharp and V-shaped, extending horizontally from and at right angles to a body portion 27. The body portion 27 has side edge notches 28 to engage the channels 11 at the rims 12 and oppositely extending feet 29 perpendicular to the body portion 27 and accordingly in a plane parallel to the plane in which the teeth 26 are disposed.

The faces 16 and 19 are in engagement when the fioor boards 14 are in place, the faces 17 and 20 being spaced a distance to accommodate the body portion 27 of the clip 25 snugly therebetween.

The clips 25 are placed at each intersection of a floor board 14 and channel 11.

The clip applying tool 35 in accordance with the invention, as shown particularly in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 includes a main body portion 36 preferably of substantially the same width as the width of the channels 11, and with a Working end having upper and lower end faces 37 and 38 and a groove 39 therebetween for the reception of the edge tongue 15. The upper face 37 is in a plane substantially parallel to but offset outwardly from the plane of the lower face 38, the offset corresponding substantially to the thickness of the body portion 27 The body portion 36 has secured to the top thereof in any desired manner and extending therebeyond, a pressure plate 40 having a lower face 41 for engagement with a floor board 14 to urge the floor board 14 into contact with the channel rims 12. The pressure plate 40 has its front edge 42 rounded to aid in advancing the plate 40 over a board 14 to a position for applying pressure.

The pressure plate 40 is of lesser width than the body portion 36 so that the upper margins of the faces 37 serve as gages to indicate the seating of the clips 25 as pointed out below.

The body portion 36, has a bottom face 43, inclined to facilitate initiation of tool insertion into the channel 11 as well as removal after a clip 25 has been applied, with a pair of fulcrum members 44 mounted thereon which may be studs, and which have heads 45 the upper portions of which engage the undersides of the rims 12 of the channels 11. The heads 45 may have portions as at 46 flattened for clip contact.

The body portion 36 carries an inclined striker plate 49 held thereon at a convenient angle for striking and in any desired manner, such as by dovetails 47 which engage in complemental grooves 48 in the body portions 36. The plate 49 has a striking face 52. The plate 49 can be removed and renewed as desired.

A handle rod 50 is fixedly mounted with respect to the main body portion 36 such as by welding to the pressure plate 41 and has a terminal handle 51 for manual grasping.

The mode of use will now be pointed out.

Assume that a board 14 has been placed on and is supported by a channel 11 with the board 14 at right angles to the channel 11. A clip 25 is placed with its feet 29 on the web 13 of the channel 11 and turned so that side edges of the clip 25 below the notches 28 start to engage the channel 11 below the rims 12.

The heads 45 of the fulcrum members 44 are brought into engagement below the rims 12 of the channel and with the face 38 engaging the body portion 27 of clip 25 above the notches 28.

The handle 51 is pulled to urge the pressure plate 41) against the top of the board 14 to force it into contact with the channel rims 12, and the striker face 52 is struck with a hammer (not shown). Repeated striking causes the clip 25 to be driven into its holding position with its teeth 26 embedded in the edge of the board 14 below the tongue 15.

The engagement of the face 37 with the upper edge face 16 of the board 14 will indicate that the clip 25 has been driven into its proper position.

The tool is then retracted and the operation of board hold down and clip driving is repeated at the next channel location desired.

The striker plate 49 can be removed after it has been battered in use and a new striker plate 49 substituted.

I claim:

1. A clip driving tool for securing a floor board to a channel comprising a main body portion having an end with a lower face portion for clip engagement,

a pressure plate carried by said main body portion and extending beyond said end for engaging a floor board to be secured with the channel,

fulcrum means on said main body portion at the lower part thereof, said fulcrum means having a portion for channel rim underface engagement, and

a handle member in secured relation to said main body portion and disposed thereabove for movement of said pressure plate to floor board engaging position,

said main body portion having a striker member carried by the other end thereof.

2. A clip driving tool as defined in claim 1 in which said striker member is a plate, and

members are provided for detachably connecting said plate and said body portion.

3. A clip driving tool as defined in claim 1 in which said first mentioned end has an upper face porLion offset with respect to said lower face portion a distance substantially corresponding to the thickness of the body of the clip.

4. A clip driving tool as defined in claim 1 in which said first mentioned end has an upper face portion, and

said first mentioned end has a horizontal groove between said upper and lower face portions.

5. A clip driving tool as defined in claim 3 in which said first mentioned end has a horizontal groove between said upper and lower face portions.

6. A clip driving tool as defined in claim 1 in which said body portion has a lower face, and

said fulcrum means has enlarged heads spaced below the lower face of said body portion for engagement with underfaces of rims of the channel.

7. A clip driving tool as defined in claim 1 in which said striker member is a plate with an inclined impact receiving face,

members are provided for detachably connecting said striker plate and said body portion,

said first mentioned end has an upper face portion offset with respect to said lower face portion a distance corresponding to the thickness of the body of the clip,

said first mentioned end has a horizontal groove between said upper and lower end faces,

said body portion has a lower inclined face, and

said fulcrum means has enlarged heads spaced below said lower inclined face of said body portion for engagement with underfaces of the rims of the channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 847,272 3/1907 Ayers 1.2 1,159,963 11/1915 Landgraf 1451.2 1,431,463 10/1922 Keyzer 145-46 OTHELL M. SIMPSON, Primary Examiner.

R. V. PARKER, IR., Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CLIP DRIVING TOOL FOR SECURING A FLOOR BOARD TO A CHANNEL COMPRISING A MAIN BODY PORTION HAVING AN END WITH A LOWER FACE PORTION FOR CLIP ENGAGEMENT, A PRESSURE PLATE CARRIED BY SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AND EXTENDING BEYOND SAID END FOR ENGAGING A FLOOR BOARD TO BE SECURED WITH THE CHANNEL, FULCRUM MEANS ON SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AT THE LOWER PART THEREOF, SAID FULCRUM MEANS HAVING A PORTION FOR CHANNEL RIM UNDERFACE ENGAGEMENT, AND A HANDLE MEMBER IN SECURED RELATION TO SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AND DISPOSED THEREABOVE FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID PRESSURE PLATE TO FLOOR BOARD ENGAGING POSITION, 